Endless tread belt link



Feb. 20, 1934.- 1-. A. SNYDER 1,947,383

ENDLESS TREAD BELT LINK Filed Aug. 11, 1928 SSheets-Sheet 1 I EN TOR.

Evian,

A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 20, 1934. A, SNYDER 1,947,883

ENDLESS TREAD BELT LINK Filed. Aug. "11, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mamas/5 den 1 VENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 20, 1934. 1', SNYDER 1347,883

ENDLESS TREAD BELT LINK Filed Aug. .11, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 co A \J I .7770 ma: 7/ Snyder;

IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcr.

ENDLESS TBEAD BELT LINK Thomas A. Snyder, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application August 11, 1928. Serial No. 299,071

'7 Claims. (01. 305) This invention relates to endless tread-belt Figure 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 links, and in particular to such links as used on of Figure 1. very heavy mobile machinery such as power ex- Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the hinge-pins. cavators. It is an improvement over the links Figure 8 is an elevation of one of the T-pins. 5 disclosed and claimed in the patent of February Figures 7 and 8 are drawn to double the scale 23, 1926, No. 1,574,042, to Bager and Lehman, and of the other figures. over the links disclosed and claimed in the patent Figure 9 is a side elevation of a tread chain of of May 20, 1930, No. 1,759,049, to Mitchell L. my links, assembled with relation to the cooper- Fykse. ating elements, part of the chain being in section. 0 Its principal object is to provide links that can Links of the same. general sort as mine are be cast with a minimum of cores, thereby greatly characterized by a broad ground-engaging surreducing the cost of manufacture. face 9, and spaced above it a single narrow wheel- A further object is to eliminate foundry shrinkengaging surface 10.

age strains, by so contriving my link that there The wheels 30, 31, 32 and 33 are confined be- 15 are no parts which, owing to excessive thickness, tween upstanding flanges 11, and lugs 34 projectwould cool very slowly. ing from the sides of the rim of the driving-wheel A still further object is to provide a link in 33 engage against the faces 12 of the flanges 11. which the objects stated above are attained with- These flanges, instead of being continuous, as in out the sacrifice of strength or any other desirthe prior art, are made open at 13 to permit the able quality. extrusion of dirt from the runway 10, as the A still further object is to provide novel means wheels pass over it.

for the extrusion of dirt from the wheel-engag- Each link is joined to the next by means 0! ing surface of my tread link, for strengthening ears 14, which fit into recesses 15. Hinge-pins the links, and for securing the links together. 16, each pass through a hole 1'7 in one wall 'of the A still further object is to provide a novel abutrecess 15, a hole 18 in the ear, and a hole 19 in ment for the hinge-pins which connect the links. the other wall of the recess 15, and stop against This abutment, by its shape, and by the fact that an abutment 20. The hinge-pin is held in place it does not serve as a strengthening member, may by the head 21, of a T-pin 22, the shank of which be chipped to accommodate interchangeable passes through a hole 23 in one of the stiffening- 30 hinge-pins of uniform length, this chipping being ribs 24, and is in turn held by a cotter-pin 25. effected with the minimum amount of labor and It will be noted that each of the hinge-pins 16 without the possibility of weakening the link. abuts against the edge of the abutment 20, rather Other objects and advantages will be evident than against the side face of a web. The importo anyone skilled in the art, and therefore need tance of this lies in two facts. In the first place,

35 not be herein more specifically set forth. it renders the space which contains the abutment The invention consists in the novel parts and easier to empty of dirt than if this space were in the combinations and arrangements defined in divided by a web extending across it. In the seethe appended claims, and of which one embodi- 0nd place, irregularities in casting may be more ment is exemplified in the accompanying draweasily chipped away from the edge of an abut-.

40 ings, which are hereinafter particularly described ment than from the side face of a web, in order and explained. to accommodate each link to fit a uniform length Throughout, the same reference number is apof hinge-pin. plied to the same or to similar members. The The strains from car 14 to recess 15 of the sections are in all cases as viewed in the direction same link are conveyed by two diverging ribs 26 45 of the arrows. and 27, which also serve as stiifening ribs. Other Figure 1 is a plan view of the link, as seen from stiffening ribs and stiffening upturned edges are provided, as clearly shown in the figures, and

above.

Figure 2 is an elevation, being a view of Figure therefore need not be specifically referred to by 1 as seen from the bottom of the sheet. number. 50 Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, taken as indi- The sides of all ribs, and of the flanges 11 and cated in Figure l by the characters 3-3. abutments 20, are sloped downward and outward Figure 4 is a section through the wheel-engagfrom their summits; this being a very important ing surface, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1. feature.

' Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 Under the runway 10 there is a raised pocket 55 of Figure 1. 28 in the under surface of the link. The presence no of this pocket prevents an undue thickness at this 4. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping point, with the disadvantages already enumerated. The arched shape of the pocket provides adequate support for the runway. In running, this pocket quickly fills with dirt and thus does not reduce the bearing surface of the link upon the ground.

Recesses 29 on the under surface of the link, indicate the proper points to bore through for the attachment of cleats for use on slippery ground.

Having now particularly described and illustrated one exemplification of my invention, I wish to be understood as not thereby limiting myself to the particular form shown, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the accompanying claims.

I claim: I

1. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging portion: and upstanding wheel-guiding flanges, formed integrally with, and supported by, the domed portion.

2. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a board ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging portion; and upstanding wheel-guiding flanges, formed integrally with, and supported by, the domed portion and the ground-engaging portion.

3. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging portion; stiffening ribs upstanding from the ground-engaging portion and bracing the runway; and upstanding wheel-guiding flanges, formed integrally with, and supported by, the domed portion, the ground-engaging portion, and certain of the stiffening ribs.

traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging p rtion; and four upstanding wheel-guiding tapered projections, formed integrally with, and supported by, the domed portion; two of such projections being on each side of the runway.

5. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging portion; and four upstanding wheel-guiding tapered projections, two thereof being on each side of the runway, and each being formed integrally with and supported by, the domed portion and the ground-engaging portion.

6. A cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a centrally-located wheel-runway, spaced above, and formed by a domed portion upwardly extending from, the ground-engaging portion;

stiffening ribs upstanding from the ground-engaging portion and bracing the runway; and four upstanding wheel-guiding tapered projections, two thereof being on each side of the runway, and each being formed integrally with and supported by, the domed portion, the ground-engaging portion and certain of the stiifening-ribs.

"7. An integral cast-metal tread-belt-link for creeping traction, having: a broad ground-engaging portion; a single centrally-located wheelrunway, spaced above the ground-engaging portion; and four upstanding heavy tapered driving and wheel-guiding projections, two on each side of the runway, the driving-surface of each such projection being on that face thereof which is furthest from the other projection on the same side of the runway.

THOMAS A. SNYDER.

Ill 

